Hahn, Fire Chief Urge EPA Removal of Illegal Fireworks Cache from Commerce Warehouse

Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn and LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone have sent a letter to US EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin requesting the urgent and expedited removal of 75 tons of dangerous illegal fireworks and 27 pallets of hand sanitizer from a warehouse in the City of Commerce.

Cal Fire and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the discovery when they raided a warehouse in late May. The fireworks and hand sanitizer have been deemed hazardous material and, therefore, outside of the LA County Fire Department’s authority to remove. Although the US EPA has identified a Department of Defense site for the storage and safe destruction of the materials, Los Angeles County officials have been informed the removal of the fireworks is projected for mid-August, a timeline that is unacceptable to Supervisor Hahn and Chief Marrone.

“This is a recipe for disaster, and it needs to be dealt with immediately,” said Supervisor Hahn. “These explosives are sitting in the middle of a busy commercial area where people work everyday and just blocks from homes. Our fire department would remove these fireworks themselves if we had the authority to, but as it stands, we need the EPA to act and we need them to act quickly.”

The letter sent today urgently requests the US EPA to expedite all necessary arrangements to ensure the removal of the fireworks and hand sanitizer as soon as possible, well in advance of the projected mid-August timeframe. In the meantime, the warehouse is under 24/7 surveillance and fire watch.

Read the full letter from Supervisor Hahn and Chief Marrone here.